Artist&#39;s brush case and rack



Feb. 19, 1963 c. R. WOOD 3,077,977

ARTIST'S BRUSH CASE AND RACK Filed Dec. 9, 1960 IN VEN TOR. Z/VA/PAES 1? 11/049 United States Patent '0 3,077,977 ARTISTS BRUSH CASE AND RACK Charles R. Wood, 45 Gienorehy Road, New Rochelle, N.Y. Filed Dec. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 75,013 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-) This invention relates to an artists brush case and rack.

An object of the invention is to provide convenient means for storing artists brushes, palette knives and the like when not in use, and for supporting the same for convenient use during painting or sketching.

Another object of the invention is to provide a brush case having a hinged cover with means for removably mounting one or more racks thereon adapted for receiving brushes and the like for use during painting or sketching.

Another object of the invention is to provide a brush case of said character in which the cover is adapted to be disposed in outwardly and downwardly directed angular relation for removably supporting racks thereon with the teeth of the rack arranged in inclined stepped relation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a brush case with a cover composed of hingedly connected sections and with slotted means between the sections adapted for slidably receiving means carried by the rack for releasably mounting the rack thereon.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, reference is now made to the following specification and accompanying drawings in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an artists brush case and cover constructed in accordance with the invention for mounting racks thereon.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view through the case with the cover disposed in closed relation and the racks removed.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken approximately on line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of one of the racks on a slightly larger scale than shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the case it} is adapted to contain a full complement of artists brushes, palette knives and the like so as to maintain the same in an undamaged and usable condition when required. The case includes a container 11 having a bottom wall 12 opposite side walls 13 and 14, front and rear walls 15 and 16 and a cover 17 hingedly connected with the rear wall along the upper edge thereof as at 18. The cover is formed with a downturned rim 19 along its forward edge which is adapted to snugly engage against the outer face of the front wall 15 for frictionally retaining the cover in closed relation. The rear wall 16 is disposed in acute angular relation with reference to the bottom wall 12 whereby the cover will extend downwardly and rearwardly when in supported relation on the rear wall.

In order to support brushes, palette knives and other articles used by artists in convenient use during painting or sketching, one or more racks 20 are adapted to be releasably mounted on the inside face of the cover when the cover is disposed in supported relation on the rear wall so as to dispose the racks in downwardly and rear- Wardly directed relation and with the teeth 21 thereof providing edges 22 for supporting the articles thereon in substantially horizontal stepped relation. As illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings the racks may be two in number which are spaced apart laterally with the teeth of each rack progressively decreasing in length and in spaced relation from one end of the base 23 to the other and with the teeth extending upwardly in acute angular relation with reference to the cover 17. This provides a progressive decrease in the width of the recesses between the 3,077,977 Patented Feb. 19, 1963 teeth for accommodating difierent sizes of brushes with the bristles thereof disposed in spaced relation from the cover so that wet paint on the bristles will not become contaminated nor mar the cover or case.

In order to removably mount the racks on the cover as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, each of the racks is formed with a medial shank 24 projecting outwardly from the underside of the base 23 and which terminates in an enlarged head 25 adapted to be inserted through an opening 26 in the cover 17 to dispose the shank 24 in a slot 27 extending longitudinally of the cover on opposite sides of the opening. The shank slidably fits the slot with the head 25 and base 23 of the rack frictionally fitting against the opposite faces of the cover.

The cover 17 is preferably formed of inner and outer sections 34 and 35 which are spaced apart by the slot 27 and are hingedly connected together by hinges 36 for movement from aligned formation to folded relation with the outer section 35 over the inner section 34 when the racks are removed and the cover disposed in depending open relation. This permits of the folding of the sections so as to cover any paint on the inner faces thereof. To facilitate opening of the cover and folding thereof, the outer section 35 is provided with a handle 37 affixed to the outer face thereof adjacent the rim 19.

The teeth 21 of the racks 20 are formed to provide inwardly tapering recesses 38 therebetween, that is, the edge 22 of each tooth and the edge 39 of the adjacent tooth converge inwardly whereby the handles of the brushes may be wedged therein. For this purpose the racks are preferably fashioned of thermoplastic material and the like whereby the teeth 21 have some flexibility and resiliency for receiving the handles of the brushes in Wedging relation in the recesses 38. Thus, a number of brushes may be wedged in the recesses 38 in the rack to the left in FIG. 1 and a number of brushes may be wedged in the recesses 38 in the rack to the right, or the brushes may be supported in bridging relation on the two racks.

While the preferred form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it is to be understood that the same is not so limited but shall cover and include any and all modifications of the invention which fall within the purview thereof.

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. In an artists brush case and rack, a container for receiving brushes and other articles used by artists, said container having a planar bottom wall, end walls and side walls with at least one of the side walls disposed in inwardly over-extending acute angular relation with the bottom wall, a cover for closing the container hinged to said inwardly over-extending side wall for movement thereof to open downwardly directed acute angular relation with reference to the bottom wall, said cover including hingedly connected sections for movement from planar relation to folded relation so as to cover when in folded relation any paint on the inner faces thereof and having a slot extending partially of the length thereof, and said cover depending from and supported when in open relation on said inwardly over-extending side wall, at least one rack having outwardly projecting teeth with recesses therebetween adapted for supporting articles on the teeth for convenient use, and stud means engaging said rack and said slot releasably mounting the rack in upward relation on the inside of the cover when the cover is in said open relation whereby the rack retains the sections of the cover in planar relation.

2. In an artists brush case and rack, a container for receiving brushes and other articles used by artists, said container having a planar bottom wall, end walls and side walls with at least one of the side walls disposed in inwardly over-extending acute angular relation with the bottom wall, a cover hingedly connected with said overextending side Wall for movement of said cover from closed relation with said container to open relation upon the outer face of said over-extending wall to dispose said cover in depending condition in acute angular relation with the bottom Wall, a plurality of racks having outwardly projecting teeth with recesses therebetween adapted for supporting articles on the teeth for convenient use, said cover having a slot extending longitudinally thereof with an enlarged opening intermediate the ends of said slot, said racks having stud means engaging said slot releasably securing the racks in upwardly extending spaced apart relation on the inside face of the cover when the cover is in said open relation on the over-extending side wall for supporting the articles in stepped relation on the teeth of the racks, and said stud means being slidable in said slot and readily insertable therein through said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 784,601 Taylor Mar. 14, 1905 1,365,682 Greist et al Jan. 18, 1921 1,377,379 Williams May 10, 1921 2,405,369 Poulsen Aug. 6, 1946 2,486,532 Kubach Nov. 1, 1949 2,650,449 Suring Sept. 1, 1953 2,940,200 Endlich June 14, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 769,147 Great Britain Feb, 27, 1957 

1. IN AN ARTIST''S BRUSH CASE AND RACK, A CONTAINER FOR RECEIVING BRUSHES AND OTHER ARTICLES USED BY ARTISTS, SAID CONTAINER HAVING A PLANAR BOTTOM WALL, END WALLS AND SIDE WALLS WITH AT LEAST ONE OF THE SIDE WALLS DISPOSED IN INWARDLY OVER-EXTENDING ACUTE ANGULAR RELATION WITH THE BOTTOM WALL, A COVER FOR CLOSING THE CONTAINER HINGED TO SAID INWARDLY OVER-EXTENDING SIDE WALL FOR MOVEMENT THEREOF TO OPEN DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED ACUTE ANGULAR RELATION WITH REFERENCE TO THE BOTTOM WALL, SAID COVER INCLUDING HINGEDLY CONNECTED SECTIONS FOR MOVEMENT FROM PLANAR RELATION TO FOLDED RELATION SO AS TO COVER WHEN IN FOLDED RELATION ANY PAINT ON THE INNER FACES THEREOF AND HAVING A SLOT EXTENDING PARTIALLY OF THE LENGTH THEREOF, AND SAID COVER DEPENDING FROM AND SUPPORTED WHEN IN OPEN RELATION ON SAID INWARDLY OVER-EXTENDING SIDE WALL, AT LEAST ONE RACK HAVING OUTWARDLY PROJECTING TEETH WITH RECESSES THEREBETWEEN ADAPTED FOR SUPPORTING ARTICLES ON THE TEETH FOR CONVENIENT USE, AND STUD MEANS ENGAGING SAID RACK AND SAID SLOT RELEASABLY MOUNTING THE RACK IN UPWARD RELATION ON THE INSIDE OF THE COVER WHEN THE COVER IS IN SAID OPEN RELATION WHEREBY THE RACK RETAINS THE SECTIONS OF THE COVER IN PLANAR RELATION. 